Rotary dump



. RAMSAY. ROTARY DUMP.

Mai". 6, 1923.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l- FILED 0CT.3I. 1921.

Mar. 6, 1923. 1,447,427. E. RAMSAY.

' ROTARY DUMP.

FILED 00131.1921- 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

51mm fi'msfmamaa,

Patented Mar. 6, 1923.

lAEd rater? ROTARY DUMP.

Application filed October 31, 1921. Serial No. 511,655.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ERsKINE RAMSAY, a citizen of the United States 01" America, residing at Birmingham, in the county of Jeiferson and State of Alabama, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rotary Dumps, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to a rotary dump adapted to rotate about its long axis and containing a track section onto which the car or cars to be dumped are run with the center of gravity of the car when loaded above the center of the dump.

More particularly the purpose of my invention is to devise an operating mechanism for rotating such a dump without the application of any power other than gravity as applied through the unbalanced condition of the dump and by aweight detached from the dump but so connected thereto as to exert a force tending'to start the dumps rotation towards dumping position, the weight being returned to initial position by the inertia of the moving dump as it completes its dumping cycle.

A further object is to so design the mechanism that it will dump on one side only, or alternately on opposite sides, whichever may be preferable, the latter being accomplished by complete rotations alternating as to directions of the former by partial rotations always in the same direction.

My invent-ion in its simplest embodiment will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawin s, in which Fig. l is an end eevation of a rotary dump cage with the adjacent end trunnion ring omitted and the operating mechanism adapted to give it complete rotations alternately in different directions.

Fig. 2 is a similar view of the dump after a complete rotation ready for a reverse rotation as to dump on the opposite side. Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the manner of attachment of the cable when it is desired to dump on one side only by a half rotation always in the same direction.

Fig. t is a planviewof Fig. 1; and

Fig. 5 is'a side elevation of Fig. 1.

Similar reference numerals refer to similar parts throughoutthe drawings.

As illustrated, the mine cars 1 approach the dump on mine track rails 2 which may be level or have any desired slope, and I show V is in initial or upright posit-ion.

in Figs. 4 and 5, a train of cars passing through the dump and provided with swivel couplings 3 so that a car in the cage can be dumped without being uncoupled from the adjacent cars in the train. Any suitable mechanism (not shown) may be provided for shifting the'cars and bringing them into position one at a time or in successive groups oi any deslred number into the dump. The

dump, which is conventionally illustrated, comprises trunnion rings 4 suitably cross connected by side plates 5 and by a bottom plate 6. Each ring carries cross supports 7 upon which are mounted rails 8 of the track section in thedump which are disposed to align with the track rails 2 when the dump This track 8, as shown, is set so as to bring the axis of the car couplings 3 approximately in line with the dumps axis of rotation, but this particular arrangement is of importance only where swivel or chain couplings are employed and it is desired to dump the ar or cars in the dump without disconnecting it or them from the other cars in the train or from the haulage means. The dump is provided on each side with suitable holddown brackets 9 adapted to engage lugs 10 or any other desired part of the car or its running gear So as to hold the car on the track 8 during the dumping operation.

All of the mechanism as thus far described is typical or any standard rotary dump construction and forms no essential part of my present invention, which is concerned with the means for operating the dump without the use of power other than gravity. To this end I provide above the dump a pulley 11 mounted in any suitable support (not shown) and over this I pass a flexible rope,

. chain or cable 12 which has one end passing about the dump and connected thereto in any suitable manner at the point 13 in the center of the dump bottom when standing in initial position. In other words, one end of the cable substantially-subtends one-half of the dump cage while the other end is connected :6 a weight 14, which in turn is connect-ed by a rod or any suitable connection 15 to 'a screw eye 16 adjustably fastened in a suitable support 17. The dump has both trunnion rings provided. with arcuate flanges which fit flush between the side and top plates 5 and 6 and form circular tracks 22 and 22 The cable passes about the track ter ofthe dump so thatas the momentum of the cage carries it"past an angular travel stop and hold the dump in lllltlitlzPOSllilOIlr The trunnion rings 4 of the dump rest on roller supports which are typically illus-' trated by the flanged trunnion wheels 21. It

will be observed that the Weight suspension elements 12 and 15 are stretched into substantial alignment between the screw eye 16 and the pulley 11 when the dump is in initial or car receiving position and that the pulley 11 is'disposed to receive the cable from or deliver itto the dump above its transverse center. Upon'releasing the latch 19, the weight 14 is in position to exert its maximum pull upon the dump and will cause'the latter to commence rotation to the left, Fig. 1. As the weight 14 overcomes the inertia of the dump with the loaded car therein and the latter tilts, the dump itself becomes unbalanced'to one side a-nd'commences to rotate with increasing rapidity until, when the car in the dump has been inverted, the cag and car are moving at their highest speed and the weight 14 has fallen to thedotted line position, Fig. 1; After the car. becomes inverted its center of gravity changes and is-again above the cen of 180 the car again serves to unbalance th dump to one side and to co-operate with the inertia of the dump to carry it through a. complete rotation. In completing the last half ofits rotation the dumps movement is opposed with increasing power by the weig it 14 as the latter rises towards its full line position and, the weight and its cable connections are calculated to permit the dump to rotate only far enough to insure however, that whenthe dump has completed Under many conditions it is desiredfor the car to dump only onone side and then the cable 12:15 shortened and-connected to the'duiirp track 22' at one side instead of at the dump bottom, the-connection beingmade 'atlthesi'cle opposite from that towards which it is;de'si'red' to dump. This isshow-n in Fig. 3 and here the; dumping operationinvolves merely a halffl turn insteadof a complete rotation. Here-the ce ter of gravity of-the 7 upright loaded car and of 'the inverted empty car must be above the center of the dump, but the vertical center line of the car does not need toalign with the vertical center line of the dump as is desirable with dumps making a complete revolution, but such center line can be displaced or tilted towards the dumps discharge side to unbalance the dump in such manner as to cooperate with the weight 14 in operating it. Such displaced car center lines are indicated by thedotted lines A- A and B-B on Fig. 3, where C'C indicates the center line of the dump. Starting with the dump in its in itial position shown in fullli'nes in Fig. 3, the weight 14, either by itself orin co-opcrating with the overbalanced weight of the dump, will, upon the release of the latch, rotate the dump counterclockwise and the weight 14 will drop to its lowest level when the dump has turned through an angle of about 90. As the dump continues to turn through the second angle of 90 its inertia is increasingly opposed by the weight and the car is brought gradually to rest by the action of the weight and its connections at or near the completion of a half rotation, whereupon the weight 14 and, if desired, the now reversely unbalanced weightof the dump act to rotate the dump clockwise and the last 90 rotation of'the dump again pulls the weight 14 back up to initial position so that it brings the dump to rest in initial position wherein the latch 19 will engage in notch 18 and hold the dump until a new car is introduced. To dump. continuously in'a reverse direction it is only necessary to shift the point ofattach-ment of the cable-to the opposite side of the-dump. If desired, a notch 18 can be provided on both sides of the dump so that it can be latched with the car inverted.

By the arrangement shown'it will be obvious that Iobtain not only a positive and rapid operation of the dump without the use of'power-means, such as steam, air or. electricity, but that the dump operating means also forms an effective brealrwhich functions with increasing power'as the car approaches initial position or eitherextreme position to bring it easily to rest without undue shocker strain;

When it is desirableto control the speed of rotation 013313116 dump, this may be done by a brake applied'in any desired manner to the dump or to any element movable therewith. A' conventional brake mechanism is shown applied-to the dump;in Fig. 3. Here a'lever 23 isused to operate a brake-bar 24: pivoted' at -2 5'toany suitable support; not shown) andicarry-ing a brake:

operationand; the1weight used.may besof any suitable character which is readily capable of variation to take care of difl'erent operating conditions.

My invention is not intended to be restricted in scope to the specific embodiments shown, but contemplates such modifications as come within the spirit and scope of the claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A rotary dump adapted to rotate about its long axis, means to support a car to be dumped in the dump in position to bring its loaded center of gravity above the dump axis, a counter-weight suspended from a fixed support and having a flexible connection passed partway about the dump, a guide for said connection, and means to hold the dump in initial position against the pull of said weight.

2. A rotary dump as described in claim 1, in which the connection is attached thereto at a point removed from the top center line 'of the upright dump an arcua-te distance of approximately haltthe angular travel of the dump in a given direction.

3. A rotary dump as described in claim 1, in which the dump is provided with an arcuate track about which said connection winds and unwinds as the dump rotates.

4. The combination with a rotary dump and supports therefor, of a weight having a swinging support on one side, a guide lo cated centrally above the dump, a flexible connection passing from the weight on the opposite side from and in line with said swinging support and leading over said guide and partway about the dump and connected at its end to the dump, and means to hold the dump in initial position.

5. The combination with a rotary dump and its supports, of a counterweight having an overhead swinging support, a flexible connection attached to the counterweight, a pulley disposed substantially centrally above the dump, said flexible connection being passed over said pulley and partway about the dump and attached to the latter, and latch means to hold the dump in initial position against the action of said weight.

6. The combination with a rotary dump and means to support it for rotation about a fixed axis, latch means to hold the dump in initial position with one edge disposed substantially in a vertical plane with the dump axis, a counterweight, a flexible connection leading from the counterweight over the pulley and about an arc of the dump equal to half of its travel to dump a car and there attached to the dump, and a fixed support having a swinging connection to the weight on the opposite side of said pulley from the edge thereof above referred to.

7. The combination with a rotary dump and means to support it for rotation about a fixed axis, a pulley disposed centrally above the dump, a counterweight, a flexible connection leading from the counterweight over the pulley and partway about the dump and attached at its free end to the latter, a support having a swinging connection to the weight on the opposite side of said pulley, said swinging connection corresponding substantially in length to the length of the circumference of the dump segment about which said flexible connection is passed, and means to hold the dump in upright position.

8. The combination with a rotary dump, of means to support it for rotation about a fixed axis, a pulley disposed above the dump with one side edge in a vertical plane with the dump axis, a counterweight, a flexible connection from the counterweight passing over the pulley and leading from its said edge about an arc of the dump circumference equal to half the arc of rotation of the dump and having its free end connected to the dump, an arcuate track on the dump for said connection to engage, means to hold the dump in initial position, a suitable support in the plane of rotation of said pulley, and a swinging connection therefrom to said counterweight which corresponds in length substantially to the length of the flexible connection between the pulley and the point where such connection is attached to the dump.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

ERSKINE RAMSAY.

Witness:

NOMIE WELSH. 

